RedRover is launching an e-book series with interactive learning built in that will help kids practice the skills needed for empathy.

RedRover saves animals in crisis and seeks to enhance the relationships people have with animals as a means to prevent animal suffering and neglect. And we believe empathy is the key.

Our innovative RedRover Readers program has already helped kids understand animals and has developed empathy skills in classrooms across the country. Now there’s an opportunity to spread this program into more classrooms – and homes – using everyday technology that will make learning empathy easier and fun for kids. It’s RedRover’s new “E-Books for Empathy” project. And you can be part of it!

All 5 e-books in the series will inspire kids to want to make the world a better place while giving them much needed opportunities to practice empathy skills. Questions integrated into the e-books’ interactive apps will help parents and teachers lead discussions with kids so they can imagine what characters are feeling while learning about animal behavior (and human behavior!) right alongside the characters in the book. Games integrated into the e-books will help kids practice linking behaviors to feelings to become top communicators.

Why this book? A note from Nicole:

As a child, I was the kid who saved bees from swimming pools and redirected foot traffic around ants. I was a pint-sized animal protector, and it’s no surprise that I became the President and CEO of an animal organization! However, I have always been deeply passionate about books and writing, and first followed this passion as an English teacher. There are few rewards in life greater than seeing the eyes of a disengaged child light up.

As an educator, parent, leader, avid reader and unwitting connoisseur of children’s media, I understand the power of stories and the potential of an unfettered mind. I wrote The Restricted Adventures of Raja (with a lot of help!) to capture the imagination of children and inspire them to understand and connect with animals and people – to inspire them, like Raja, to want to save Planet Earth.

1. Make sure you are 3 feet away from the dog (jump rope length) and standing in a calm manner.

2. Stand still while you say “may I pet your dog?”.
3. Walk up the mini rainbow; this means you should walk in an arch as opposed to walking straight up to the dog.
4. Stand sideways or kneel sideways, never facing the dog head on.
5. Offer your hand to the dog – fingers in and down in a loose fist. This is an invitation for the dog to approach.
6. If the dog approaches, pet him under his chin. If the dog doesn’t approach, he is saying that he’s not comfortable right now.

Ways children can help with their own dogs:

1. Making sure their dog always has fresh water and filling the water bowls. Fresh water should always be available unless your vet has told you otherwise.
2. Helping to feed the dog by getting the food ready (dogs should be fed at least twice a day).
3. Having two leashes hooked to the dog when going for a walk, so the child can hold one of the leashes. No child under the age of 15 should be holding the leash or walking the dog alone. No dogs should be walked on a retractable leash! There is a risk of amputation (according to their own website), and the company actually says the leash should never be used around children

Do not share with your dog:

1. Candy or gum
2. Grapes
3. Raisins

NEVER:

1. Touch a dog’s food bowl while she is eating.
2. Touch a dog while he is chewing on or playing with a chew toy.
3. Pet or try and grab a dog while she is in a “hiding place”(like under a bed or couch or in the crate).
4. Put your face in ANY dog’s face.
5. Hug a dog.

When to get an adult:

1. When you see a loose dog outside (no adult and no leash).
2. If your own dog gets something she shouldn’t (one of your toys for example).
3. If your dog seems hurt, frightened or is hiding.
4. If your dog gets out the door and takes off.

Resources for Children & Parents:

The Animal Welfare Institute sells Pablo Puppy’s Search for the Perfect Person by Sheila Hamaka. This book, for children 4 – 8 years old, is inexpensive, yet beautifully written and illustrated. You can also download a free board game, matching game, and coloring pages.

DogGone Safe‘s website has dog bite prevention safety tips, body language flashcards, games, storybooks and coloring books. Also, home to the “Be A Tree” program, teaching children what to do around a loose dog.

At The Family Dog, you can find tips, videos, and an online training program for families, with a special section just for kids. The highlighted video on our website is a short, easy-to-understand body language video for families produced by The Family Dog.

Doggone Crazy sells a board game on dog behavior and body language for families and children.

Living With Kids and Dogs offers all sorts of useful information for parents, as well as a link to order the books, Living With Kids and Dogs…Without Losing Your Mind and Puppy Training for Kids by Colleen Pelar.

Family Paws includes both Dogs & Storks and the Dog & Baby Connection. There are articles and resources for expectant parents and parents of babies and toddlers. Family Paws also runs a Dog and Baby Support hotline at 1-877-247-3407.

]]>http://www.wooftales.com/?feed=rss2&p=5070B Corps volunteer at Namaste Solarhttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=501
http://www.wooftales.com/?p=501#commentsThu, 19 Sep 2013 14:46:58 +0000Pennye Jones-Napierhttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=501Who says that a small group of dedicated people can’t have a huge impact? Yesterday two groups of Changemakers and Business leaders pitched in to help dismantle and clear the bottom offices of Namaste Solar in Boulder CO after the floods filled their lower offices with water, mud and silt.

We had 27 B Corps memberswho cleared the 1st floor space along with the employees of Namaste in 2 hours! Volunteers included People from B Lab, West Paw Designs, Give Something Back, Greener Retirement Plans, and a number of other companies. For many, this is one of many highlights of the B Corps Champions Retreat this year.

I have to mention a second team who were working with Firefighters on the Sunshine Canyon, and they helped literally clear rocks to make way. Lesley, our merchant services sales person from Inspire Commerce was on that team, as well as our friend, Jim Epstein of Blue Ridge Produce

Tens of thousands of dogs suffering in substandard, filthy, and overcrowded cages for years on end will finally get the protection they deserve as a result of a rule the U.S. Department of Agriculture will formally adopt today. This change, a long-held aspiration for The HSUS, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, and the Doris Day Animal League, is decades in the making and will extend federal oversight to thousands of puppy mills that do business online.

Of the dozens of puppy mills that The HSUS has assisted in closing down over the past five years, the vast majority were selling puppies online and escaping any federal oversight because a loophole in federal Animal Welfare Act regulations exempts Internet sellers. Because large-scale dog breeders who sell animals to pet stores are regulated, but breeders who sell directly to the public are not, there has been a massive migration of breeders to the latter sales strategy within the last decade or so. If they could sell dogs and escape any federal oversight, why not get in on that act and continue to cut corners on animal care?

The HSUS, HSLF, and DDAL pointed out that it was fundamentally unfair that people involved in the same underlying business enterprise (breeding dogs to sell for profit) would face entirely different regulatory standards. It was a circumstance ripe for fraud and misrepresentation. Internet sellers of puppies often displayed images of puppies frolicking in open fields. In reality, the dogs were languishing, crammed inside feces-encrusted cages, receiving no protection from the elements and no veterinary care whatever. And until the legal standard was modified, the federal government couldn’t take action because none of these mills required federal licensing and inspection.

Due to pressure from The HSUS and DDAL, the USDA’s inspector general looked into enforcement of the rules governing dog breeding, finding appalling abuses of the dogs, deficient exercise of authority by USDA where it had authority, and identification of this glaring gap in the law that allowed Internet sellers to evade any federal oversight whatever. It was that OIG report, combined with our advocacy efforts in Congress and with the Obama administration that finally compelled federal action.

We thank the Obama administration and the USDA for bringing new standards of care to thousands of puppies, but also to kittens, rabbits and other warm-blooded animals who are often raised in inhumane facilities and sold as pets over the Internet, by mail or by phone, sight-unseen.

The HSUS and HSLF called on supporters to act in 2011, and 32,000 people signed a petition urging the Obama administration to crack down on unregulated puppy mills. When the USDA proposed an actual change in its regulations in 2012, HSUS members and other animal advocates generated 350,000 public signatures and comments in support.

There has been strong bipartisan support in Congress for closing the “Internet loophole” in the Animal Welfare Act regulations. Federal legislation, S. 395 and H.R. 847 – known as the PUPS Act, or “Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act” – sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and David Vitter, R-La., and Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., Sam Farr, D-Calif., Bill Young, R-Fla., and Lois Capps, D-Calif., galvanized members of Congress in support of efforts to finalize and implement the rule.

Puppy mills aren’t going away overnight, and it’s still important for any potential puppy buyer to meet the breeder in person at his or her facility to see how and where a puppy was born and raised. But this rule has the potential to allow federal inspectors to peer behind the closed doors of puppy mills and improve the lives of tens of thousands of animals. That is a change worth celebrating, and we thank our supporters, the USDA, and our allies in Congress for supporting this significant step.

]]>http://www.wooftales.com/?feed=rss2&p=4940The Benefits of Elk Velvet Antlershttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=481
http://www.wooftales.com/?p=481#commentsTue, 27 Aug 2013 13:50:09 +0000smalltigerhttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=481The name Wapiti is from the Shawnee and Cree word waapiti, meaning “white rump” deer, which is an elk. The elk or wapiti is one of the largest species of deer in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America. Male elk grow and shed their antlers annually. The antlers are a fast growing and biologically active tissue loaded with components that have demonstrated exceptional therapeutic value. Elk Velvet Antler (EVA) has been used in Traditional Eastern Medicine for over 2000 years.

Craig Wylie, the owner of Wapiti Labs Inc, purchased a 160 acre farm in northern Minnesota about 10 years ago and started his own elk ranch. Wolf Creek Ranch is managed and operated by Craig’s son Klint who cares for a herd of about 200 elk. Only the best genetics are selected for the bulls & cows to breed the healthiest, most promising stock. The elk are raised in a completely pollution-free, natural environment. All animals are certified by the MN Board of Animal Health and routine health checks & inventory programs keep the elk in optimal health. Wolf Creek Ranch has been Chronic Wasting Disease and Tuberculosis free for over ten years.

Wapiti Labs Inc. manufactures & sells supplements made from EVA for dogs, cats and humans. They use a no heat, proprietary extraction process to produce our supplements which include the EVA and Eastern herbs. Premium elk antler chews for dogs round out the Wapiti Labs line.

]]>http://www.wooftales.com/?feed=rss2&p=4811Preventing Seizures – Natural Dog Remedies Can Out-Do Drugshttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=474
http://www.wooftales.com/?p=474#commentsMon, 19 Aug 2013 11:16:47 +0000Pennye Jones-Napierhttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=474We have a dog that has idiopathic epilepsy and has been on Zanicimide for years. Dr. Jennifer Rammelmeier here in our area recently also recommended homeopathics as an alternative which we are planning on exploring, especially as our Zorra ages.

The article below from Natural Awakenings Magazine details some of these alternative therapies for use in treating seizures.

]]>http://www.wooftales.com/?feed=rss2&p=4740Chevy Equinox is one sweet ridehttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=466
http://www.wooftales.com/?p=466#commentsWed, 14 Aug 2013 17:23:57 +0000smalltigerhttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=466I have the privilege periodically to drive a new car from General Motors and this summer I picked the Chevy Equinox, GM’s new crossover SUV. I chose the Equinox because we were heading out to Rehoboth Beach, DE and I thought it would be a great test to take it on the road and see how it handled on a mini-vacation with all of our gear, the new pup, etc.

I have to say that from the first drive over to our store, The Big Bad Woof, I was enamored with the vehicle. It has a great interior that is well laid out with all the amenities and was very roomy for not only me, but our General Manager who is an athletic build and requires more space in a car. After he showed me some of the hidden niceties (like plugs for the Iphone etc) I started getting together the gear for our trip.

The back of the car had a very good sized storage area for bags and food to take to the beach with a very roomy back seat for Atticus to relax in during the 3 hour drive. We connected the Bluetooth and settles in for great sound with the Sirius Radio and Pandora.

Aren't we packed yet?

The car handled extremely well in both good and rainy road conditions, and felt like a solid machine with some weight to handle an accident. The Collision aversion is a nice feature also, with several different settings to warn us if we were too close to other cars. It felt very safe and the adjustable seats left me felling good after being in the car for an extended period of time.

I also was impressed with the gas mileage for a car of this size, averaging 20MPG in City and Highway overall. This is definitely a winner in my opinion and worth a test drive for anyone considering a new SUV.

]]>http://www.wooftales.com/?feed=rss2&p=4661Atticus’ Vacay ~ day 2http://www.wooftales.com/?p=457
http://www.wooftales.com/?p=457#commentsSun, 28 Jul 2013 14:39:20 +0000Pennye Jones-Napierhttp://www.wooftales.com/?p=457They keep saying perfect beach weather. I can’t believe how many new smells there are! We started off really early Lon along walk through the pines and I almost caught this little brown creature. Right on the side of the road. If that darn line had not been attached I would have had it for sure.

So we come back and I am wondering if we a getting in the car to go exploring. I really like all the room in the back seat and the front (where I usually lie down) has even more room for my legs.

But no, in the house we go and then Mom heads off to the beach, while I take a nap.

When she comes back we head out and boy is this a long stretch to go find the Dog Beach at Henlopen State Park. It is not too hot, but remember that I LOVE snow so I could do without the water sprays no such. We finally make it to the beach and I am SO excited to see other dogs but NONE of them wanted to play except a young pup. Off we go back down the road. Boy am I tired by the time we get back. Time to stretch and sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

Mom says tomorrow morning is time to run the beach at Dewey ( whatever that is). I can’t wait!